Ibom kingdom was an

Ibibio Ibibio may refer to: * Ibibio language * Ibibio people * Ibibio Sound Machine, an English electronic afro-funk band who sing in Ibibio See also * Ibiblio ibiblio (formerly SunSITE.unc.edu and MetaLab.unc.edu) is a "collection of collections" ...

nation with its seat of government in Obot Okon Ita. This kingdom was located between present day

Abia Abia or ABIA may refer to: ABIA * Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, in Austin, Texas, United States * Australian Book Industry Awards, national literary and industry awards People * Abia (name) * Abia (mythology), the nursemaid of Glenus ...

and

Akwa Ibom Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe ...

states in Southeastern

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Around 1630, an

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

group from

Abiriba Abiriba pronounced E`biriba`/is an ancient Enuda kingdom in Abia State, in southeastern Nigeria, traditionally an Igbo speaking region. It is in the Ohafia local government area. History The origin of the Abiriba people is not as speculativ ...

known as the

Eze Agwu Agwu Inobia or Eze Agwu was one of the founding fathers of the city of Arochukwu, the third largest city in Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. He was a powerful blacksmith and leader of his clan. Eze Agwu is said to be the descendant of Nna Uru. Nn ...

arrived to Ibom. This caused a long term conflict and stalemate known as the Aro-Ibibio Wars.

Origin

The kingdom of Ibom originated by the settlement of the

Ibibio people The Ibibio people (English: / ɪbɪˈbiːəʊ/) are a coastal people in southern Nigeria. They are mostly found in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States. They are related to the Efik people. During the colonial period in Nigeria, the Ibibio Union as ...

from Usangale in the Cameroons around the 15th century. Ibom is an old word used by the Efik /

Annang The Anaang (also spelled Annang) are a sub-ethnic group of the larger Ibibio people, whose land is primarily within 8 of the present 31 local government areas in Akwa Ibom State: Abak, Essien Udim, Etim Ekpo, Ika, Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara, Oruk ...

Eket Eket is one of the 31 local government areas in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The name ''Eket'' or Ekid also refers to the indigenous ethnic group of the region and to their language. The Eket people use the endonym ''Ekid'' for themselves and their l ...

people of

meaning the ancient universe, the cradle earth, or the cradle, original or ancient community from which others sprang forth. The word Ibom symbolizes the ancestral, the origin, the cradle, the source and theancient community or place or area from which other communities or people sprang forth or originated.

Akwa Ibom State Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe ...

is one of the present two states created from the old

Akwa Akpa Duke Town, originally known as Atakpa is an Efik people, Efik city-state that flourished in the 19th century in what is now southern Nigeria. The City State extended from now Calabar to Bakassi in the east and Oron (state), Oron to the west. Altho ...

kingdom,

Cross River State ) , image_map = Nigeria - Cross River.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location of Cross River State in Nigeria , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint ...

being the sister state.

Akwa

Akwa also spelled Aqua, meaning The Great One or The Essential One is believed to be the ancestor of the people of

and Efik. Kwa or Qua therefore means Essential One or Great One. It is of no coincidence that their ancient Kingdom was originally known as

. The words Akwa, Aqua, Kwa, Qua are common names for places, rivers, in both Akwa Ibom State and in Cross River State. It is now a town in

Arochukwu Arochukwu Local Government Area, sometimes referred to as Arochuku or Aro Oke-Igbo, is the third largest local government area in Abia State (after Aba and Umuahia) in southeastern Nigeria and homeland of the Igbo subgroup, Aro people. It is co ...

Abia state Abia State ( ig, Ȯha Abia) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, it is bordered to the north and northeast by the states of Enugu, and Ebonyi, Imo State to the west, Cross River State to the east, Akwa Ibom State to the ...

in Southeastern Nigeria still called Ibom. an

kingdom which last King

Akpan Okon Akpan Okon was the last ''Obong'' (king) of Ibom Kingdom around 1690-1720. He was overthrown by his brother Akakpokpo Okon with the support of groups such as the Eze Agwu, Nnachi Ipia, and the Nnubi dynasty in the final phases of the Aro-Ibib ...

lost to the

people after the Aro-Ibibio Wars, which the Arochukwu won with the combined

and

Akpa The Ibom Isi also known as the Akpa are one of the three main lineages compromising the Aro people. They are centered in Ibom, Arochukwu in Nigeria. This Aro lineage is originally from the present day Akwa Ibom State in Southeastern Nigeria. Dur ...

armies. Ibom is also where the famous

Ibini Ukpabi The Ibini Ukpabi () was an oracle of the Aro Confederacy of what is now south eastern Nigeria. It was known among the British as the 'Long Ju-ju'. Ibini Ukpabi was used to settle cases, particularly those of murder, witchcraft, poisoning and family ...

oracle is located.

References

External links

*http://www.aro-okigbo.com/history_of_the_aros.htm *https://web.archive.org/web/20080828190518/http://www.aronetwork.org/others/confederancy.html *http://aronewsonline.org/html/Prologue.asp{{dead link, date=November 2017 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes Countries in precolonial Africa Aros History of Nigeria Former monarchies of Africa 17th century in Africa Ibibio Towns in Abia State Former countries in Africa Ibibio people